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: ''For information on the Kobol of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Kobol (TOS)]].''
{{disline|For information on the Kobol of the {{TOS|Battlestar Galactica|Original Series}}, see [[Kobol (TOS)]]. For general information on the planet, see [[Kobol]].}}
[[image:Home_pt1-Kobol.jpg|thumb|right|'''Kobol''' as seen from space in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]].]]
[[Image:City of the Gods.jpg|left|thumb|An illustration from the [[Sacred Scrolls]] of the City of the Gods ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])]]
'''Kobol''' is described as the ancestral homeworld for humanity in the [[Sacred Scrolls]] of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. An unexplained event or environmental catastrophe causes humanity to leave Kobol and settle on the planets that form their new homeworlds known as the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]. Its location is unknown until it is found by chance by the Fleet.


Kobol is a planet said to be the home of the original thirteen tribes of mankind, once shared in harmony with the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Lords of Kobol]]. Kobol is a verdant world of seas and continents, the latter having large areas of woodland, grassland and forests. It was located in [[Sector 218]] of the galaxy.
[[Image:Home_pt1-Kobol.jpg|thumb|280px|Kobol from orbit]]
'''Kobol''' is the ancestral homeworld of the people of the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]], and one of [[Earth (RDM)#A New Earth|two]] known planets where humans naturally evolved. Though it is a lush, life-supporting planet, Kobol has been uninhabited since the exodus of the Thirteen Tribes. On the surface, only ruins remain as evidence of the once-great civilization that previously existed.


The seat of power of Kobol resided in the [[City of the Gods]] in the northern hemisphere, itself dominated by the [[Forum]], [[Temple]] and [[Opera House]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), structures which were duplicated on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] in the city of [[Delphi]].
==Overview==
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
Kobol is a verdant world of seas and continents, the latter having large areas of woodland, grassland, and forests. An unexplained event or environmental catastrophe caused humanity to leave Kobol and settle on the planets that form the [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]. However, at the time of ''Galactica''{{'|s}} discovery of Kobol, the planet appears to have recovered from such an event.
==Great Exodus==
The Great Exodus of the Twelve Tribes from Kobol took place some 2,000 years prior to the events of the [[Miniseries]]. At that time, the Twelve Tribes [[Galleon Meadow|departed Kobol]] for another star system.  


It is written in the [[Sacred Scrolls]] that the [[Thirteenth Tribe]] departed Kobol some 1,600 years prior to the main exodus ([[Miniseries]]), to seek a planet known as "[[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]."<ref>[[Galen Tyrol]]'s report on the age of the [[Temple of Five]] at aroud 4,000 years old ([[The Eye of Jupiter]]) is generally accurate. The Thirteenth Tribe allegedly left approximately 4,000 years prior to the events of the [[Miniseries]]. The Twelve Tribes (which form the Colonies) left much later, at 2,000 years prior to the miniseries.</ref>
The seat of power of Kobol resided in the [[City of the Gods]] in the northern hemisphere, itself dominated by the [[Forum]], [[Temple]] and [[Opera House]] {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}, structures which were duplicated on {{RDM|Caprica}} in the city of [[Delphi]]. It is said that humans lived there in harmony with the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Lords of Kobol]], and that [[Atlas]] supported Kobol on his shoulders. The [[Messengers]] were witness to Kobol's civilization, and observed the same patterns there as they later would on the worlds settled by the descendants of Kobol's peoples&mdash;"commercialism, decadence, technology run amok."


The gods appear to have abandoned Kobol as well, but aired information does not establish a time of departure.
==Great Exodus==
Some 2,000 years prior to the [[Fall of the Colonies]], the Twelve Tribes [[Galleon Meadow|departed Kobol]] for another star system in "The Great Exodus of the Twelve Tribes from Kobol".  The [[Sacred Scrolls]] also tell of a [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]] that departed Kobol some 2,000 years prior {{TRS|Miniseries}} to seek a planet known as [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]].<ref>[[Galen Tyrol]]'s report on the age of the [[Temple of Five]] at around 4,000 years old {{TRS|The Eye of Jupiter}} is generally accurate. The Thirteenth Tribe allegedly left approximately 4,000 years prior to the events of the [[Miniseries]]. The Twelve Tribes (which form the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Colonies]]) left much later, at 2,000 years prior to the Miniseries.</ref> Although the Twelve Tribes later interpret the Scrolls to record that the Thirteenth were human, they were in fact [[humanoid Cylons]] created by Kobol's humans {{TRS|Sometimes a Great Notion}}.


It is unclear whether all the gods themselves departed Kobol at this time, although the [[Sacred Scrolls]] indicate that [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] commits suicide in sorrow at the human exodus, suggesting that one or more gods or humans remained to record the death before [[Tomb of Athena|entombing Athena]] and leaving themselves.
The Lords of Kobol also appear to have abandoned Kobol, but when is not known. Also unclear is whether they departed Kobol with the Tribes, although the Sacred Scrolls say that [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] killed herself in sorrow at the Great Exodus, suggesting that some Lords or humans remained to record the death before [[Tomb of Athena|entombing Athena]] and leaving themselves. The Sacred Scrolls also say that Zeus warned the leaders of the tribes that any return to Kobol would carry with it a cost in blood.


==Religious Texts==
==Religious Texts==
During the time humans lived on Kobol, many texts were written, some of which have survived through time, and are regarded by some as religious artifacts, and by others the documenting of myths and legends. These texts have apparently been collected into a tome known as the [[Sacred Scrolls]].
[[Image:City of the Gods.jpg|right|thumb|An illustration from the [[Sacred Scrolls]] of the City of the Gods {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}]]
During the time humans lived on Kobol, many texts were written, some of which have survived through time, and are regarded by some as religious artifacts, and by others as the documenting of myths and legends. These texts have been collected into a tome known as the [[Sacred Scrolls]]. These are the main source of information about Kobol for the people of the Twelve Colonies, as few hard facts remain.


Chief among these writings include the Book of [[Pythia]] who, some 1,600 years prior to the Great Exodus, fortold another exodus featuring a "caravan of the heavens" lead by someone dying of a "wasting disease" ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]). This exodus would lead humanity to a new home, although the leader would die before he/she could enter the new home.  
Chief among these writings include the Book of [[Pythia]] who, some 1,600 years prior to the Great Exodus, foretold another exodus featuring a "caravan of the heavens" led by someone dying of a "wasting disease" {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}. This exodus would lead humanity to a new home, although the leader would die before he/she could enter the new home.  
    
    
Some of the writings of Pythia have apparently come true: President [[Laura Roslin]], the civil leader of the Colonial fleet is dying of cancer at the presumed fulfillment of the prophecy ([[Home, Part II]]). Further, Roslin has several [[Chamalla|visions]], including one of 12 snakes ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]), a vision specifically foretold by Pythia.
Some of the writings of Pythia have apparently come true: President [[Laura Roslin]], the civil leader of the Colonial fleet is dying of cancer at the presumed fulfillment of the prophecy {{TRS|Home, Part II}}. Further, Roslin has several [[Chamalla|visions]], including one of 12 snakes {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}, a vision specifically foretold by Pythia.


According to an [[Cylon-Related Hallucinations|virtual image of Number Six]] that appears to [[Gaius Baltar]], the Cylons have very different beliefs about Kobol, including that human sacrifice was practiced there, and that the souls of all who die on Kobol are forever lost ("[[Valley of Darkness]]", "[[Fragged]]"). Since some feel this "virtual Six" appears to be some sort of hallucination, this belief may be a falsehood.
The [[Messengers|spectral image of Number Six]] that appears to [[Gaius Baltar]] tells him that human sacrifice was practiced on Kobol, and that the souls of all who die there are forever lost because God has turned his back on it ("[[Valley of Darkness]]," "[[Fragged]]"). She claims that the Colonial scriptures are erroneous in their description of life on Kobol, hiding darker truths.


==Rediscovering Kobol==
==Rediscovering Kobol==
Kobol is re-discovered, apparently by chance when ''[[Galactica]]'' dispatches her [[Raptor]]s to locate planets which may provide materials needed to re-supply the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. However, Cylon forces are already present in the system ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).
Its location is unknown until it is found by the Fleet, Colonial star charts place it in [[Sector 728]] of the galaxy {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}, when ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' dispatches Raptors to locate planets which may provide materials needed to re-supply the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and one of them finds the planet by chance. Upon its discovery, [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] suggests considering permanent settlement on the planet. However, Cylon forces are already present in the system.
 
Following the discovery (as predicted by the [[Humanoid Cylon]] [[Leoben Conoy]]), Roslin becomes convinced that Kobol will lead the fleet to Earth, providing the [[Tomb of Athena]] can be accessed. To do this, the [[Arrow of Apollo]] must be retrieved from the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]].
 
However, before the surface of Kobol can be reached safely (and the crew of a crashed Raptor rescued), a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] force lead by a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] must be eliminated. Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] plans to use the captured [[Cylon Raider]] to help with this, but before any plan can be put into action, Lt. [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] uses the Raider to go to Caprica in an attempt to recover the Arrow ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]). Commander Adama eventually uses a Raptor armed with a nuclear warhead to destroy the orbiting basestar.


President Roslin plays her role as "the Leader" sent by the Gods, and convinces a third of [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] to return to Kobol with her ([[The Farm]]).  With the Arrow of Apollo retrieved, Roslin descends to the surface with a small team, including [[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]], Starbuck, [[Helo]], and [[Tom Zarek]].  The [[Sharon Agathon|copy of Sharon Valerii]], who accompanied Helo on Caprica, claims to know how to help Roslin reach the [[Tomb of Athena]], and is brought along as guide.  Along the way on the surface, Roslin's team fights with additional Centurions, resulting in the death of priestess [[Elosha]], Roslin's personal religious advisor ([[Home, Part I]]).
Following the discovery (as predicted by the [[humanoid Cylon]] [[Leoben Conoy]]) as well as her own [[Chamalla|prescient visions]], Roslin becomes convinced that Kobol will lead the fleet to Earth, providing the [[Tomb of Athena]] can be found. To do this, priest [[Elosha]] notes that the [[Arrow of Apollo]] must be retrieved from the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]] on Caprica.


Commander Adama (who locates Roslin's group on the surface) joins her and the rest of the team shortly after Elosha's death. The team soon finds the Tomb of Athena.  They are the first people to see the inside of the Tomb in centuries, and use the Arrow to activate a holographic map display which indicated the general direction of [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] ([[Home, Part II]]).
Against Commander [[William Adama|Adama's]] military orders, Roslin begins a quest to retrieve the Arrow, leading to her arrest {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II}}. She [[Resistance|later escapes]], and leads a third of the Fleet to Kobol (with the [[The Farm|retrieved Arrow]]) to begin the search for the Tomb {{TRS|Home, Part I}}


==Similarities of Kobol between Original and Re-imagined Series==
A scouting team sent to Kobol is ambushed by Cylon forces. The survivors manage to escape further Cylon assault after a [[SAR]] mission {{TRS|Fragged}}. Both expeditions to Kobol suffer casualties, in keeping with Zeus's warning.


*It is believed to be the original home of humanity
Commander Adama later joins Roslin's expedition, and soon finds the Tomb of Athena. They are the first people to glimpse the inside of the Tomb in centuries, and use the Arrow to activate a holographic map display, which indicates the general direction of [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] {{TRS|Home, Part II}}.  Afterwards, the Colonials abandon Kobol again, never to return.
*It is found by chance by both Fleets
*A world catastrophe or internal strife forces humanity to leave the planet
*A tomb holds the key to the location of Earth
**[[Tomb of the Ninth Lord of Kobol]] - "[[Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I]]"
**[[Tomb of Athena]] - "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]"
*Special keys are needed to open or access the secrets of the tomb
**[[Adama's Medallion]]
**The [[Arrow of Apollo]]
*The Colonials encounter Cylons on and around the planet during their quests


==Etymology of "Kobol"==
==Notes==
*"Kobol" originally appears to have derived from "Kolob" which, according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_articles_about_Mormonism Mormon] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham Book of Abraham] is the "star nearest unto God". [[Glen A. Larson]], creator of the Original Series, is a member of the of the [[Wikipedia:Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. As such, he used Mormon imagery within the show, together with elements of Egyptian imagery that tend to reflect the time of [[Wikipedia:Abraham|Abraham]] and the Israelites.  The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham Book of Abraham] also claims that Abraham taught the Egyptians astronomy and that Kolob is the central star of the universe and thus controls the revolutions of all other stars and planets.  The connection seems to come from Kolob/Kobol as the (so to speak) "original starting point".
*Kobol could also have been derived from the Greek word ''Kobalos'', meaning  "mine or source." The name may suggest that Kobol was originally a planet with a wealth of natural resources (or, in the case of the Tomb of Athena, information).
*Kobol also shares its pronunciation with [[w:COBOL|COBOL]], a relatively ancient programming language. It is unlikely that this language would have been robust enough for the AI programming that led to the creation of the Cylons, although at the time the Original Series aired, the language still enjoyed wide popularity among programmers.


==Cinematic Note==
*Much of the scenic, expansive landscapes of Kobol were filmed at [http://www.spacesfornature.org/greatspaces/pinecone.html Widgeon Slough], the largest freshwater marsh in the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, British Columbia, Port Coquitlam (Source in part: [[The Official Companion]]).
*In the original [[Miniseries]] script, the Twelve Colonies actually resided ''on'' Kobol. The final script returned Kobol to its status as birthplace of humankind, with humanity having left to other habitable worlds to match the premise of the Original Series.


In the Re-imagined Series, much of the scenic, expansive landscapes of Kobol were filmed at [http://www.spacesfornature.org/greatspaces/pinecone.html Widgeon Slough], the largest freshwater marsh in the the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, British Columbia, Port Coquitlam (Source in part: [[The Official Companion]]).
==See Also==
 
In the original [[Miniseries]] script of the Re-imagined Series, the Twelve Colonies actually resided ''on'' Kobol. The final script returned Kobol to its status as birthplace of man, with humanity having left to other habitable worlds to match the premise of the Original Series.


* [[Kobol]], for similarities between the Original and Re-imagined Series and the etymology of the planet's name.


==References==
==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>
{{reflist}}
 
{{RDM Planets}}
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
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[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:RDM]]


[[de:Kobol]]
[[de:Kobol (RDM)]]
[[fr:Kobol (RDM)]]

Latest revision as of 04:22, 22 February 2024


Kobol from orbit

Kobol is the ancestral homeworld of the people of the Twelve Colonies, and one of two known planets where humans naturally evolved. Though it is a lush, life-supporting planet, Kobol has been uninhabited since the exodus of the Thirteen Tribes. On the surface, only ruins remain as evidence of the once-great civilization that previously existed.

Overview

Kobol is a verdant world of seas and continents, the latter having large areas of woodland, grassland, and forests. An unexplained event or environmental catastrophe caused humanity to leave Kobol and settle on the planets that form the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. However, at the time of Galactica's discovery of Kobol, the planet appears to have recovered from such an event.

The seat of power of Kobol resided in the City of the Gods in the northern hemisphere, itself dominated by the Forum, Temple and Opera House (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I"), structures which were duplicated on Caprica in the city of Delphi. It is said that humans lived there in harmony with the Lords of Kobol, and that Atlas supported Kobol on his shoulders. The Messengers were witness to Kobol's civilization, and observed the same patterns there as they later would on the worlds settled by the descendants of Kobol's peoples—"commercialism, decadence, technology run amok."

Great Exodus

Some 2,000 years prior to the Fall of the Colonies, the Twelve Tribes departed Kobol for another star system in "The Great Exodus of the Twelve Tribes from Kobol". The Sacred Scrolls also tell of a Thirteenth Tribe that departed Kobol some 2,000 years prior (TRS: "Miniseries") to seek a planet known as Earth.[1] Although the Twelve Tribes later interpret the Scrolls to record that the Thirteenth were human, they were in fact humanoid Cylons created by Kobol's humans (TRS: "Sometimes a Great Notion").

The Lords of Kobol also appear to have abandoned Kobol, but when is not known. Also unclear is whether they departed Kobol with the Tribes, although the Sacred Scrolls say that Athena killed herself in sorrow at the Great Exodus, suggesting that some Lords or humans remained to record the death before entombing Athena and leaving themselves. The Sacred Scrolls also say that Zeus warned the leaders of the tribes that any return to Kobol would carry with it a cost in blood.

Religious Texts

An illustration from the Sacred Scrolls of the City of the Gods (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")

During the time humans lived on Kobol, many texts were written, some of which have survived through time, and are regarded by some as religious artifacts, and by others as the documenting of myths and legends. These texts have been collected into a tome known as the Sacred Scrolls. These are the main source of information about Kobol for the people of the Twelve Colonies, as few hard facts remain.

Chief among these writings include the Book of Pythia who, some 1,600 years prior to the Great Exodus, foretold another exodus featuring a "caravan of the heavens" led by someone dying of a "wasting disease" (TRS: "The Hand of God"). This exodus would lead humanity to a new home, although the leader would die before he/she could enter the new home.

Some of the writings of Pythia have apparently come true: President Laura Roslin, the civil leader of the Colonial fleet is dying of cancer at the presumed fulfillment of the prophecy (TRS: "Home, Part II"). Further, Roslin has several visions, including one of 12 snakes (TRS: "The Hand of God"), a vision specifically foretold by Pythia.

The spectral image of Number Six that appears to Gaius Baltar tells him that human sacrifice was practiced on Kobol, and that the souls of all who die there are forever lost because God has turned his back on it ("Valley of Darkness," "Fragged"). She claims that the Colonial scriptures are erroneous in their description of life on Kobol, hiding darker truths.

Rediscovering Kobol

Its location is unknown until it is found by the Fleet, Colonial star charts place it in Sector 728 of the galaxy (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I"), when Galactica dispatches Raptors to locate planets which may provide materials needed to re-supply the Fleet, and one of them finds the planet by chance. Upon its discovery, Commander Adama suggests considering permanent settlement on the planet. However, Cylon forces are already present in the system.

Following the discovery (as predicted by the humanoid Cylon Leoben Conoy) as well as her own prescient visions, Roslin becomes convinced that Kobol will lead the fleet to Earth, providing the Tomb of Athena can be found. To do this, priest Elosha notes that the Arrow of Apollo must be retrieved from the Delphi Museum of the Colonies on Caprica.

Against Commander Adama's military orders, Roslin begins a quest to retrieve the Arrow, leading to her arrest (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II"). She later escapes, and leads a third of the Fleet to Kobol (with the retrieved Arrow) to begin the search for the Tomb (TRS: "Home, Part I")

A scouting team sent to Kobol is ambushed by Cylon forces. The survivors manage to escape further Cylon assault after a SAR mission (TRS: "Fragged"). Both expeditions to Kobol suffer casualties, in keeping with Zeus's warning.

Commander Adama later joins Roslin's expedition, and soon finds the Tomb of Athena. They are the first people to glimpse the inside of the Tomb in centuries, and use the Arrow to activate a holographic map display, which indicates the general direction of Earth (TRS: "Home, Part II"). Afterwards, the Colonials abandon Kobol again, never to return.

Notes

  • Much of the scenic, expansive landscapes of Kobol were filmed at Widgeon Slough, the largest freshwater marsh in the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, British Columbia, Port Coquitlam (Source in part: The Official Companion).
  • In the original Miniseries script, the Twelve Colonies actually resided on Kobol. The final script returned Kobol to its status as birthplace of humankind, with humanity having left to other habitable worlds to match the premise of the Original Series.

See Also

  • Kobol, for similarities between the Original and Re-imagined Series and the etymology of the planet's name.

References

  1. Galen Tyrol's report on the age of the Temple of Five at around 4,000 years old (TRS: "The Eye of Jupiter") is generally accurate. The Thirteenth Tribe allegedly left approximately 4,000 years prior to the events of the Miniseries. The Twelve Tribes (which form the Colonies) left much later, at 2,000 years prior to the Miniseries.